


Recovery and Realization

by BringBackMaes14



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Canon Related, Canon Rewrite, F/M, Hak got hurt again, Hak is smug, Soo-won was there, Sweet Kisses, The dragons didn't know, Yona is really freaked out, Yona is sweet, Zeno knows all, and not oblivious, at least not in this work where I'm trying to make my dreams come true, manga chapter 91, manga chapter 92, nothing too serious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:42:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23912509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BringBackMaes14/pseuds/BringBackMaes14
Summary: My take on what I wish would've happened during Hak's recovery between chapters 91 and 92 of the manga.Please note that the beginning few paragraphs in italics are not my own work. That was me basically writing out what had happened in chapter 91 for the context in the story. That part of the story belongs to the writers and creators of Yona of the Dawn.
Relationships: Son Hak/Yona
Comments: 6
Kudos: 58





	Recovery and Realization

_It had all happened so fast._

_Zeno had jumped in front of the princess, ready to give his life as Hiyou, the drug lord, charged towards them. And in the blink of an eye, Hak was there. Hiyou’s sword had dug through Hak’s arm, but he hadn’t looked pained. He looked like he couldn’t feel anything but rage. Hak said nothing to his comrades. He said nothing to the criminal that had threatened his princess. He punched Hiyou across the ground with the weapon still in his arm. When it came out, blood poured from his arm onto the ground in an endless stream, but he still didn’t wince or cry out. His demeanor was dark, and he was only focused on the disguised king before him._

_Hak trudged across the path to Soo-won. He didn’t flinch when his guards came forward, trembling behind their weapons. He bashed in the face of one and the general slashed his sword across Hak’s chest. He didn’t falter, returning the favor with a swift kick to the gut._

_He was inches away from grabbing the king by his throat when Jae-ha stopped him. He tried to reason with him and pull him back, but Hak kept muttering “let go.” When the green dragon tried to console him once more, Hak screamed out. He punched Jae-ha in the stomach hard, not caring that he was a comrade. He was in the way. But he stood back up and kicked Hak across the face with his dragon leg. Injured by a dragon and bleeding out, he still stood. They fought back and forth, bringing Kija into the fight. They worried about their seething friend. Soo-won made his escape during that time, and Hak cried out after him. He was the only thing he saw._

_So Yona stepped forward and touched his bleeding hand. “Hak,” she’d said. “It’s alright. I’m fine.” He seemed to relax at her words, but he was still tense. His expression was still enraged._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hak collapsed not long after that. He held onto every scrap of consciousness like a child who didn’t want to take a nap. The dragons carried him back to the campsite and immediately laid him up in a tent on Yun’s orders. Yona tried to enter the tent, but Yun wouldn’t allow it. He didn’t want Yona to see Hak’s arm, and he imagined Hak wouldn’t want her to see him in pain either.

Yun recalled when he’d found Hak and the princess after their fall off of the cliff. Yona had been much more fragile then. He smiled at the thought of her progress, but his frown returned when he remembered how badly beat up Hak had been. He was barely alive. And the way Yona worried over him was unbearable. They were so devoted to each other that the thought of one of them being injured brought on hysteria between the two. When Hak had regained consciousness after that incident he was like that. He was worried about Yona’s physical and emotional states, so much so that he hadn’t acknowledged his own injuries. Yun figured out early on that Hak’s loyalty and _love_ for the princess came first. _Always_.

Now he was laid up under his care again. _They’re such a reckless group,_ Yun thought. Hak was in bad shape. It was easy to see. There was blood everywhere from the small gashes on his chest and the gaping hole in his arm. How he still stood after all that was beyond the rest of the group’s understanding. Yun sighed as he started pulling out bandages and anesthetic herbs.

Outside, away from the group and in the forest, Yona cried against a tree. She’d seen Soo-won again and had had to keep quiet for Lili’s sake. It was painful and unfair. But once again, her cousin hadn’t outed her. He pretended he didn’t know her. And that made her hurt a little more. _What is he plotting? What’s the benefit of keeping me a secret?_ Yona couldn’t understand. She wanted her companions to understand. There was a reason Hak acted that way. He was almost right to act that way. Almost. Yona didn’t know if she wanted Soo-won dead. She didn’t think Hak did, even after his aggressive display. She wanted to defend Hak and tell the group that that was the king. The king who killed her father and ran them out of the kingdom. The king with a happy face hiding sadistic intentions. The same king that Yona’s life and mind couldn’t escape from. Yona cried angry hurt tears and slammed her fists against the tree until they were red and scratched. She bawled and threw a tantrum in the solitude of the forest. She cried because Hak had had to protect her and he’d gotten hurt again because of her. She just wanted to see him smile. _It’s been so long_.

At the campsite, all the dragons sat quietly. Jae-ha twiddled his thumbs and Shin-ah lazily played with Ao. Kija huffed. “Are we going to talk about what happened back there?”

“Do we look like we know what happened?” Jae-ha replied frustratedly.

“No, but” Kija’s face fumed red, “who was that man? Why did Hak go off like that? It isn’t like him.”

“All I know is we were at the docks and something clicked with Hak. I don’t know what it was or how it happened. He just demanded I get him to Yona as soon as possible.”

‘It was King Soo-won.” Zeno whisper yelled. The other three dragons stiffened at the realization. _That happy-go-lucky airhead was the king? And the man who broke Yona’s heart and killed her father in cold blood right in front of her?_

Jae-ha clenched his teeth together. “If I had known that, I might not have stopped him. Why did I stop him?”

“Because it was the right thing to do. For Yona.” Kija started. “Yona hasn’t stated that she wants him dead. And I imagine that watching her best friend kill her first love is something that would traumatize her forever. Hak would never forgive himself for letting the princess see that.”

It was at that moment when Yona returned. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, but no one asked about it. No one asked about Soo-won either. The silence was uncomfortable. Then Yun came out of the tent. Yona jumped up and asked if she could help with dinner. She didn’t speak a word about Hak or his condition. She didn’t spare a glance at the tent. The dragons watched grimly as the princess smiled at the young healer and went to fetch water. When she was out of range, they leaned forward and whispered.

“Was that Soo-won? Do you know, Yun?” The boy shook his head.

“How’s the Thunder Beast’s condition?”

“He’ll survive. It isn’t pretty though. He’s going to have a bad scar on his arm and a new one on his chest too. The guy is covered in them. It’s amazing he’s alive.”

The dragons all nodded. They knew that in Hak’s eighteen years of life, he’d always fought. They’d heard that it had only been a few years since he became the princess’s bodyguard, but he’d been protecting her since they were little kids. They’d also all caught onto the poor man’s unrequited love for the princess. The members of their group all had different feelings towards the princess, but they all secretly hoped that one day she’d realize his feelings. It was hard to watch.

During dinner, the group (minus Hak) talked about Lady Lili. They also discussed the state of her bodyguard who was said to be healing well. Yona stood when she was done and grabbed another bowl. She filled it with the stew that Yun had made and walked toward’s the tent she shared with Hak. Yun attempted to stop her, saying she wouldn’t like what she’d see, but she smiled and continued on her way.

A few footsteps away from the tent, Yona heard Hak groan out her title of princess. She walked a little faster and opened the flap to find him sitting up and grasping his arm. She offered him the bowl of stew and he set it down beside him. He wrapped his arms around her, grunting in pain but still holding her in a tight embrace. The princess didn’t try to pull away, she only wrapped her arms around his torso and rested her head on his shoulder. When she pulled away, noses almost touching, she smiled at him. Then she sat back and grabbed the bowl of stew and plucked the spoon away from him. “This is the least I can do since you injured your arm for me.” His eyes widened as she lifted the spoon to his lips. _I must still be asleep,_ Hak thought.

He let her feed him though, and she blushed while she did it. "Princess-"

"Don't you 'Princess' me." She shoved the spoon in his mouth to shut him up. "I can't handle that right now. I want to bring Soo-won to justice too. I was his friend too." She looked up with a fire in her eyes and she slammed her fist down onto the ground almost too close to Hak's arm. He flinched under her glare. "What you did was reckless and stupid and… and I told you I'd never forgive you if you died on me. You lost so much blood. You kept going even though I knew you were in pain. You scared me, Hak. I was scared for your well-being, but the way you acted actually terrified me. I was afraid to come near you," She held his hand and rubbed light circles over the back of it. “but I'm glad I did.”

Hak was… well, he didn't know what to feel. He had scared the girl he loved, the one shining light in his life. The girl he was supposed to protect from scary and dangerous things. But that's what he had been: scary and dangerous. He gripped her hand as tightly as he could with his injured arm (which was still pretty tight). A tear rolled down his face before he could realize. Yona realized though. She climbed over him and held him in her arms as he cried harder. She knew it was hard to see Soo-won, someone they'd both loved dearly. She also knew that Hak prided himself on his ability to care for her. She appreciated that, even though she thought he was overly protective sometimes. Yona hugged him with all her might, careful not to touch the wounds on his chest.

"You've scared me before Hak, like that time we were fighting by the cliff. When you fell over the edge, I thought I'd lost the last thing I had to love in this world." Hak's eyes widened at her words. "Just because you scare me, Hak, doesn't mean I'll stop loving you." She tilted his head down so she could kiss him on the forehead.

“I don’t understand.” Hak stuttered. His voice lacked its normal bored confidence, and there were still tears coming down his face.

Yona smiled at the man in front of her. “I’ve been a real dummy, Hak. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long.” Hak laughed. It was a real laugh, not one of his usual ones laced with sadness. He laughed, probably loud enough that the others had heard. And when he looked at the princess, she had stars in her eyes. She was watching him with so much wonder. She was irresistible. He pulled her onto him by her wrists and kissed her. He finally kissed her. And Hak knew he was awake because this felt more real than any dream he’d ever had. Yona hesitated at first, surprised by his sudden actions, but that didn’t last long. She loved this new close connection they shared. They had a bond that could never be broken.

Hak pulled away slightly, almost ready for the princess to run away. But she stayed. In fact, she stayed and took the time to change his bandages. She cringed at the sight of his arm and blushed as she unbandaged and rebandaged his chest. "You see something you like, Princess?" Hak smirked and then winced as Yona hit him in the shoulder above his wounds. She apologized profusely, and he laughed at her. Yona pouted as she put away the bandages.

She laid down next to his good arm. Hak wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer into his side. "Hak, you always say you're my guardian and a tool at my disposal. It bothers me that you think like that. I know you swore to my father that you’d always protect me, but you don't have to give up your life to do that. You're protecting me right now from being lonely. You're protecting me right now from breaking down again over Soo-won. You protect me from the hardships of the world by being at my side. I love you Hak, and I always will, whether I realize it or not."

Hak felt like his heart had stopped. _She said it. She said she loves me._ She rolled into her side and brought him into another kiss, expressing her gratitude for him being there by her side.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been at least an hour and Yona still hadn't returned to the group. It was after dark and Kija was pacing. He was thinking irrationally. "What if he's in there defiling the princess?!"

"Calm down, Kija dear. His injuries are too severe to be moving around that much."

"I wouldn't put it past him after what we saw, though," Yun added. Kija squeaked in response.

"Someone should check in on them.” He commanded. Everyone offered to do it. Everyone was curious. So they all made their way over to Hak and Yona’s tent. When they opened the flap, they were huddled together on one mat. It certainly looked like something had gone down. Yona was asleep half on Hak’s chest and she was gripping onto his arm. Her dress was all wrinkled from moving around to change Hak’s bandages.

And of course, Hak, the tease, smirked at them all with shining slitted eyes. He shushed them and kissed the princess’s head. She smiled and sighed out Hak’s name. “Love you.” All their comrades gasped in shock. It had finally happened. They were all strangely jealous and proud.

“Love you too, Princess.” Hak made eye contact with the group as he said it and they all just stood there like they’d witnessed a miracle. To them, they had. Hak grinned and let out a small laugh. Then he shooed them off.

Before they left, the group all let him know that if he hurt or defiled Yona in any way, they’d tear him to shreds.

“Psh. As if you guys could take me down.” The group scaredly recalled their battle earlier that day and shivered. “Besides, Princess here kissed me first.” Needless to say, the dragons were all surprised, except for Zeno who said he’d seen it coming.

**Author's Note:**

> If you didn't read it in the summary, I'll say it again: Please note that the beginning few paragraphs in italics are not my own work. That was me basically writing out what had happened in chapter 91 for the context in the story. That part of the story belongs to the writers and creators of Yona of the Dawn.


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